The Knowing
by sheaka13
Summary: When a girl does everything to resist her 'gift' what happens when she can't forget what she has seen and can't help but get involved against her better judgement?
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys so I decided to let me muse do as it wanted to throw this out there... let me know what you think of the first chapter. I don't own any of the Sherlock characters but I do own those of my own making. I'm keeping the rating at M for language and possibly some smut later because really, these characters are pretty attractive so yeah. I am still writing my other story, just this idea wouldn't leave me alone. So please let me know what you think, like, hate, indifferent, etc etc etc. Thanks guys and happy reading!

* * *

Tanzen started to feel what she called 'The Knowing' creep into her head. She started to breath heavily and look around her small green room wildly "MOMMY!" She felt fat tears creep from her eyes and down her face "MOMMY IT'S COMING" She wailed as she started to sob. She hated 'The Knowing' it made her scared- taking her away from where she was to somewhere else. She never understood where she went, but Mommy said she didn't really leave. But she did leave. Sometimes she was at a bus stop, or to their neighbor's living room, or the grocery store down the road, or sometimes she was surrounded by people on a street she didn't recognize. Tanzen usually knew where she was but every once in a while she didn't and that scared her. What scared her more was what happened when she got there. Most of the time people she knew were hurt when she went away. When she was at the bus stop a nice lady at the grocery store who always gave her a cookie was hit by a man and his bag was taken. In their neighbor's living room she saw them fight before Mr. Fairway hit Mrs. Fairway, it wasn't very nice. At the grocery store she saw her best friend's mom slip and hurt her arm. Then on the street… well that one was really scary. It got really loud and then people started screaming. That was the only place she ever went to that she didn't recognize.

"MOM!" She wailed again, feeling The Knowing take hold of her. She could hear the pounding of her mother's feet as she raced up the stairs but by the time she opened the door Tanzen found herself miles away.

* * *

It took Tanzen about fifteen minutes to pull on her signature grey skinny jeans, low heel boots, Silvery button up and deep green blazer. She fussed quickly with her short black hair before quickly brushing her lashes with some mascara. It was Tuesday and at her work she needed to look presentable- well as presentable as someone who worked as a glorified tech/ secretary to some asshole prick who spent more time jerking off in his office than actually working. The company paid well though and that was really the main reason she worked there.

She grabbed her keys, small wallet, her work phone, jacket, and helmet before she slinked out of the small studio apartment. She lived in a fairly nice building- much nicer than her last apartment in Maryland. She got a steal on this one when she moved to London- the previous owner needed to leave quickly and it just so happened Tanzen was looking for a place to move into quickly. He only took his clothes and left everything else- which suited Tanzen since she flew over with a couple suitcases. Her job paid her enough to play her bills- of which she had plenty thanks to college, and still buy some luxury items every now and then.

It was a rare sunny day- which is why she brought down her helmet. While not the smartest vehicle she could have purchased she loved the triumph motorcycle she bought. Sure it was pretty irresponsible of her to buy a motorcycle, it did rain here all the time, but she couldn't help it. With her bonus at the end of the last fiscal year, and the money she had saved up before the move Tanzen realized she could get a used bike pretty cheap and the apartment complex had a garage that had a spot reserved for her so… why not? When it was nice she usually took off after work and escaped the city to just ride.

Tanzen pulled on her jacket, put her wallet, and phone in her inner pocket before zipping it up. She took the elevator down to the garage and pushed her head into the matte black helmet in her hands. She turned the bike on, revved the engine and shot out of the garage, onto the street and towards her work.

It took less time than it normally did to pull up to the IBM building so she allowed herself to splurge and buy a latte from the lobby of her building. She parked in the parking garage a block away and locked her jacket and helmet onto the bike before she took the stairs up a few flights to get to her office/cube though not before stopping for that latte.

She ran a hand through her short locks as she logged into her computer and got to work while sipping her chai slowly. It wasn't long until her creepy ass boss showed up and leaned on her desk "Good Morning Tanzey" He shot her what she figured was supposed to be a charming smile but fell a bit short, not to mention the 'nick name' he decided to give her after about a month working for him, a year later he still thought it was cute.

"Good Morning " She said in her 'pleasant person' voice. She wasn't really in the mood for him yet- it was too god damn early for this.

"Tanzey I told you time and time again- Patrick will suffice" If she was being honest he was good looking. Little over six feet, small gut but a strong body otherwise. The man did like his pints, but his face was pleasing- rich dark eyes, dirty blonde hair, a touch of stubble. Just the kind of man any woman would want to at least sleep with once or twice. But god was he a total creep, not to mention his shit attitude towards anyone other than a billionaire. He also flattered himself to be some sort of lady killer who couldn't take a hint. To make matters worse Tanzen found him to be completely incapable to do any part of his job. That was probably his worst fault in her mind- she hated people who rose through the ranks by using others. "Anyways, would you mind terribly playing secretary to a few of my meetings- you know I am miserable with keeping time and your notes are also so helpful" He flashed what was probably meant to be his million dollar smile at her in what was probably an attempt to sway her.

Tanzen sighed internally- like she had a choice in the matter. He was her direct supervisor, for some reason… and if he wanted her to take notes she took notes. She was here for the pay and the insurance, not for the work. Don't get her wrong she loved technology but she never pictured herself doing this when she was little. "Not a problem- I have a few emails to address and then I can be in your office for your first meeting"

"Great Tanzey- see you in fifteen" He smiled and sauntered off to his office to do God knows what. She blasted through her emails before grabbing a notebook and pen before walking into the open doors of Patrick's office.

The meetings were fairly basic. A few well to do businessmen from Ireland, the US, and Germany who wished to talk about upgrades to their current tech, increasing their numbers, and stepping up the support provided. All of them were very nice- She was ignored like usual but that was normal. Tanzen wondered if she was only there so Patrick could show off, like a pathetic peacock spreading his feathers exclaiming 'LOOK AT ME!' A few times she wanted to roll her eyes but she remained professional and took notes like a good little secretary. She sipped her latte now and then and before she knew it she was back at her desk with a rapidly chilling latte and about fifty emails to answer. She quickly typed up the minutes from the meeting and sent them over to Patrick before he could come over to ask for them as a guise for trying to get more of her attention. Afterwards she used her time answering emails and the phone. Every now and then the emails were interesting- she did love questions about IT as she first started as an IT personnel before applying for her current job. The work wasn't as interesting but it paid significantly more. She took her lunch late but went down a flight and walked into the R&D department. Was she supposed to be there? No. Would she be thrown out? Nope.

In front of her was a desk. This room was what Tanzen saw as the screening room. Everyone who wanted to get into the belly of the R&D department would have to get through here which consisted of a lot of passwords, some random scans… who really knew? She never tried to get farther than this because this is where she would find her favorite person here "Luke" She said with a smile.

A large dark skinned man glanced up with a smile "Tanzen, what's my girl doing here so late? I thought you forgot about our lunch plans" He said with a smile. Tazen walked over to him, placing an affectionate kiss on his cheek

"I would never forget about you Luke"

"Keep that up and my wife will be upset with me"

"Chere loves me more than she loves you"

"Yeah… you are probably right" He smiled and ruffled her short hair "Well come on- there is great Indian place not far from here- beats this greasy British shit"

"Don't let Chere hear you say that" Tanzen teased. Chere was born and raised right outside of London. Luke moved from the states like she did, only he came over a decade ago and he moved from Massachusetts. He said he was 'not from Boston and that was all she really needed to know'. She took it more as a joke than him being secretive, besides she didn't share all of her past with him so why should he do the same with her? "Well, come on Luke- I'm starving and could use some spice and naan"

They took their lunch at the Indian place a few blocks from work. They were able to grab one of their tables by the window to enjoy the sunshine. They chatted away about their days thus far and Luke brought up her boss Patrick "You know, he does like you a lot. It wouldn't hurt to give him a shot"

"He is an idiot. He just wants to go out with me because I told him no and kept it professional instead of flirting back"

"No- he wants to take you for drinks because you are smart, gorgeous and very easy to talk to. You aren't worried about the material shit- you are no nonsense and any guy would want that"

"Ah thanks Luke- I would love to get drinks with you"

"Tanzen I'm not joking" He leveled her with his deep brown eyes. He sighed and let a small smile pull at his lips "First of all: We are getting drinks next week because we are finding a sports bar to watch the Patriots destroy your Ravens. Second of all" He rushed over her as she started to talk "Second of all I'm not kidding. You are a different sort of woman. You should just give him a shot next time okay? If it sucks it sucks but what harm can drinks do?"

Tanzen sighed heavily, more for dramatic effect than anything else "I'll consider it" She said as she bite off a bit of sauce soaked naan.

"That's my girl"

* * *

It wasn't long before the day was winding down and she was taking walking down to the garage and slipping onto her bike. It purred to life and within forty minutes she was out of the city and weaving along small country roads.

It was perfect riding weather and was incredibly soothing until a small pressure started filling her head.

"Fuck" she muttered as she downshifted and quickly pulled over. Under normal circumstances she found that Excedrin or alcohol worked to dull this feeling well enough to not be bothered by it. She couldn't really down a bottle of whiskey on the road so she rummaged through her bag and found her bottle of Excedrin. She pulled four pills and dry swallowed them one at a time.

She got back on her bike before she headed back towards London to get to her apartment. She was going to be up all night- but at least she wouldn't be subjected to 'the knowing'. Visions that had plagued her since she was small. They had gotten worse as she aged though she had figured out a good system to counter these damn things. She hated them. Once when she was younger she tried to study her visions and then tried to prevent them from occurring. She was not really successful… as in only stopped one vision from happening- to her knowledge anyway. Not great odds but she hardly cared anymore. Now she worked really hard to not have/ not remember them.

The pressure didn't return as she road back home. While it probably would not return- the times that it did it came back in full force and usually a vision came immediately afterwards. Not much of a notice and really dangerous when riding a motorcycle. Of course this would happen on the one nice day in London this week… She made it to her apartment building in one piece and made her way upstairs.

She unlocked her front door and entered, locking it behind her as she moved towards her kitchen. She pulled open her refrigerator door and rummaged for something to eat. She hoped she would be fine for the rest of the night, but just in case… Tanzen paused in her food search and pulled a glass from a cupboard and put a few ice cubes into it before pouring herself three fingers of whiskey. She pulled out some left over pasta from the night before and heated that, with chicken and red sauce.

After she was finished eating she cleaned up then put on the news, had another few fingers of whiskey, and pulled out the second book in the Song of Ice and Fire series- Clash of Kings. She was somewhat addicted to this series and was trying to read them before the series on HBO ruined it for her. She had done well so far, ignoring social media as the episodes came out. She did only pick up the books a few months ago so she figured by the time the next season came out she should be done reading all the ones that Martin released- we shall see though.

By the time Tanzen was going to bed, the pressure did not return- thankfully. She changed quickly- washed her face, brushed her teeth and climbed into bed. One more day down, only three left until the weekend.

* * *

The rest of the week went by much like Tuesday did, at least work did Meetings, emails, phone calls, sometimes she went out for lunch, other times she ate at her desk. Patrick continued to try to charm her and she didn't do much more than she had on Tuesday. London had been a bit of a mess. There had been some explosions this week. Usual to be sure and a bit unsettling but the police were doing their best she was sure… that was what they were paid for no?

The day crept by and when it was almost five Patrick came out and was standing by her desk. She was finishing up with a few emails and decided she would continue what she was doing until he said something. It didn't take long.

"So Tanzen- I wanted to see if you wanted to grab a few drinks tonight?"

Tanzen was so thrown by the use of her actual name instead of that god awful nickname that she just stared at him for a bit before letting one side of her mouth pull into a slight smile. She thought about Luke and with that slight smile she responded "Sure, why not? Let me just finish up here and I'll meet you downstairs"

"Nonsense, I'll wait for you!" He looked like what she imagined most kids looked like when they found out there was a snow day.

"Alrighty then" She continued wrapping up emails and she wrote a few quick notes to Monday Tanzen before she shut her computer down and pulled on her jacket "Where are we off to?"

"John's. If you don't mind, it is this great little-"

"I've been to John's. The bartender Kenny is the owner, he and his wife are sweethearts" She said softly, not realizing she cut him off "Sorry…"

"Oh no worries, well then, let's go"

Tanzen counted to ten to herself as she thought about Luke- that man definitely owes her one. Patrick kept with the small talk as they made their way to John's. It wasn't the most riveting conversation, but then again it was 'small talk' so she shouldn't be so surprised. It could have been worse though, at least it was easy small talk.

It took a few solid minutes to get to John's but soon they were walking in. The bar was dabbled with patrons, though most of the tables were still empty. It was just a little after five, it should be full by six. They joined the smattering of people at the bar and both ordered pints.

"So Tanzey" back to terrible nicknames then "I'm really glad you said you would come out- I was beginning to think you didn't like me" He laughed as if it was the funniest joke and Tanzen gave him a tight smile

"Imagine that" Tanzen felt a pressure start to build in the back of her head and she quickly drank a long draft of the glass in front of her. Not now… She really didn't need this right now. She glanced back at Patrick and it looked like he was about to say more when Kenny came over.

"Tanzen!" he smiled and leaned against the bar "What is this? A pint? Not the usual? It is Friday after all"

"Why not- it is Friday and you do owe me one" She flashed him a bright smile, besides- the additional alcohol should help. Then she laughed when she saw his face "Okay so you don't owe me per say…"

"If anything you owe me for having to put up with you and your sass. Sorry though, who is your friend?" He turned his attention over to Patrick who extended his hand "My name's Patrick, I work with Tanzen"

"Kenny" He shook his hand and smiled warmly "A friend of Tanzen's is welcome here. Are you good with your print or are you up for anything else?"

"I'll try one of Tanzen's usuals" he smiled over at her and she gave him a tight smile back.

"You sure there friend? Tanzen doesn't joke around when she drinks"

"I'm sure it will be delicious"

"Alright" Kenny moved off to mix their drinks and Patrick looked over at her and sighed "I am so glad you finally said yes- I've wanted to do this for a while now"

"Yeah- well here I am" She said as was saved once more by the return of Kenny and their drinks. She sighed and nodded to him gratefully as she slid her new drink closer before lifting it and bringing the cool glass to her lips and downing about half. God she needed that. The pressure was there but it was a bit less though- good.

She was brought out of her musings by Patrick coughing a bit. She looked at him and almost laughed. He took a rather large gulp like she did… whoops probably should have told him what was in it… "What do you think?"

"Wow… that is rather strong… What is in it?"

"You know… I'm not entirely sure. A few different kinds of whiskey, ginger beer or ginger ale… not sure. Some hot sauce I think… I dunno I never really asked Kenny and never cared to- I like the surprise" She smiled at bit at the thought and looked over Patrick again "If you don't like it I'm sure I'll get to it"

"No it's fine it's just… I wasn't anticipating that"

"Kenny did warn you" She said, teasing him a bit and she couldn't help but feel a bit smug when he switched back to the pint of beer before him. She took a small sip of her mixed drink and let herself look around and see who was actually here while Patrick got a hold of himself.

She recognized a few locals from the other times she had been in here. She couldn't think of their names… was one Buck or something? One of them had a weird name like that. The table not far from them was occupied by a man with light brown hair who looked really familar. He had a drink in front of him but wasn't drinking it… he must be waiting for someone. There was another man she didn't recognize, at the end of the bar but before she could study him further her boss started speaking again.

"He did, but I guess I misjudged you. It's not bad, just stronger than I thought it would be. But I asked you here to get to know you better and knowing how you like your alcohol is a start right?" He laughed a bit and Tanzen returned her attention to him and nodded

"It is a start. Are you normally a beer guy?"

"Beer or wine really. I will have a mixed drink now and then but not often" Tanzen couldn't help but translate: I am only drinking beer to seem more like a guy, I only drink wine and never have hard liquor anymore. Granted maybe what he said was true, but if she was reading him right she would guess her 'translation' was closer to the truth. "So you moved from the US over a year ago right?"

"Yeah- almost two now" Anticipating his next question she continued "I moved from Maryland, I was about thirty miles.. er about 48 kilometers from D.C."

"I moved from the states when I was five- I don't remember much of it, but we used to live in Georgia"

"I never really left Maryland when I lived there, which is probably the reason I jumped on the chance to move here"

"London is great- I have lived a few other places in Europe but I came back to London"

"Where else have you lived?" Tanzen felt the pressure start to build again so she grabbed her pint and drank deeply, most of it to be honest, which probably wasn't the best impression to make on her boss but it was Friday… so whatever.

He followed her lead and drank a bit of his beer before continuing "I spent some time in France, mainly for travel but ended up staying there for about a year and worked at a few small businesses part time while I was there. I spent five years in Germany working for a tech company that went under. I lived in northern Italy for a few months with a friend of mine, mostly drinking to be honest and not really working. About 6 years ago I moved back to London and haven't left"

"Sounds nice, I think I would like to travel like that one day. I may do a quick trip with some of my vacation time, though I would love to just sell all my stuff and just spend a few years traveling and doing odd jobs"

"It's definitely doable in Europe. Do you speak other languages?"

"Spanish fairly well, but I'm a quick study and the romance languages are similar enough. I'm also decent at German but I know I speak like a small child"

"If you want to practice some languages I would love to help, I speak a lot of different languages"

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind" She glanced over at the man at the table again. He started drinking his beer and Tanzen got a good look at him. He looked like that guy on the news… with the police and that other guy… "Hey so do you recognize that guy at the table over there? His face looks so familiar, I feel like I have seen him before- maybe in a newspaper in connection with the police and some other man." Tanzen took a sip of her beer "I noticed him earlier and now it is really bugging me"

Patrick glanced over and shrugged "No… though I do focus more on the new technology the news reports on and current world events… Can't say I recognize him."

Tanzen nodded and finished her pint before pulling her other drink closer. The pressure was coming in again and the alcohol was not doing the trick like it usually did. She would have to go somewhere quite soon… the bathroom would probably work. She took a big gulp of her mixed drink and looked at over at her boss "Will you excuse me?" She stood up and felt the pressure grow to almost unbearable. He must have seen her face before he also stood.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, just a headache but I need to use the facilities… I'll be back" She moved towards the back of the room, thankful that instead of stalls this bar featured private rest rooms, three rooms in the back for either gender. She opened one of the rooms, and quickly locked the door behind her. The alcohol was starting to hit her but not enough. She leaned against the door as she felt herself start to fade. She slid down the door and glanced at her watch: 6:34. Tanzen kept her eyes on it as she was whisked away.

* * *

 _A man with lite brown hair was walking down road. It was dark out but the road still had a fair amount of traffic. He looked like he had consumed a few pints, his gait slightly unsteady but still not drunk, maybe just a bit buzzed._

 _He turned down a side road, probably a short cut to his final destination. The angle changed as the brunette made it through the alley onto a less populated road. The street sign he passed read York. There wasn't another street sign to indicate where he had come from. He paused for a moment as he pulled out his phone, possibly looking at a message he received when another person came into a view. They were not as clear to see as the other man but he was walking towards the first man_

" _John Watson?"_

" _Huh?" The lite brown man, or John Watson said. He glanced at the other man but was a little slow as a car pulled up suddenly next to him and John turned his attention to the car as the man pulled out a syringe and stuck it into John's neck before they moved him into the trunk of the car._

* * *

Tanzen gasped and looked around wildly. She looked at her watch 6:40. Not too long. Not long enough to be super suspicious. She got up and swayed slightly. She did drink those drinks rather quickly. She splashed some water on her face and swallowed slowly. That man out there was John Watson. He worked with Sherlock Holmes, that man who solved all those crazy cases. They were involved with the serial killer case not long ago with that cab driver. God she had to warn him. But what would she say 'Hi John, you don't know me and honestly I don't really know you but I just had a vision of you being kidnapped off of a street called York so you should probably take a cab for the rest of your life just to be careful' Tanzen knew how this worked. Telling him may make this happen or it may not… God she hated seeing these damn things.

Alcohol usually took care of this. The alcohol would muddle her mind and even if she still had a 'vision' or whatever it was, she usually didn't remember it which was how she liked it. Maybe she should have tried taking Excedrin or something like she did earlier this week… not a perfect solution but still- it was something. Tanzen had tried to get a prescription for headaches or migraines but what was she going to tell doctors? That she got visions? Yeah right. The only medication she was able to get had made it worse. While she was on it she had felt like the visions had lasted longer, were more detailed, and usually filled with something truly awful. The last time she took one of those was when... well before she moved to the UK.

Tanzen sighed and opened the bathroom door and to her surprise Patrick was right there.

"I was worried about you" he said after a moment. "You didn't look so great so I wanted to make sure you were alright"

Tanzen nodded "Yeah okay, it takes more than that though to make me sick. I appreciate your concern but it was not necessary" She started walking back towards the bar and Patrick followed behind her. John was still at his table, he was looking at his phone again. Tanzen got back to their stools and nodded at Kenny, indicating her interest in another drink. She was thinking about everything she know about Watson and Holmes right now… They were probably working on those explosions. She had to warn him… what if he was kidnapped because of this case? She had to say something to him… she had to-

"So Tanzen, what do you do outside of work?" Ah yes, Patrick, now she wished she had not agreed to this 'date' she that she would be by herself and maybe flirt her way to Mr. Watson's safety… After all she didn't see herself in the vision which meant it wouldn't occur when she was there… maybe... She actually wasn't sure. She rarely changed her visions but she had changed one before.

"Outside work? Well not much… If the weather is nice I ride out of the city and drive in the country. I bought a motorcycle this past year so I have to capitalize on the clear days"

"You ride? I don't know if I would have guessed"

"Yeah, I actually got my motorcycle license before my driver's license while I was in the states. When I got here I made sure to test for both, just in case. I don't think I'll get a car anytime soon but the bike was being sold at too good a price" Why was she being so open? Maybe to be nice? She didn't really care though. She was kinda worried about John Watson who was sitting not fifteen feet from her. "What about you?" She glanced at him as she drank more of the drink Kenny had placed in front of her.

"Well I don't ride motorcycles" he laughed "I play some pick up football with some friends, I usually play as a midfielder. I'm a big fan of other sports, I have been able to go to an American football game two years ago. I play the saxophone when I know my neighbors are gone so I don't annoy them too much" He laughed again and Tanzen made herself smile a bit.

"I'm sure you aren't that bad" She said, more because she knew it was the right thing to say.

"Well not terrible, but not great" He said with a flirtatious smile.

Tanzen finished her drink and mouthed the word 'water' to Kenny who nodded to her and she turned her attention back to Patrick but noted that in her periphery that John was still nursing his pint. At least he was still here. "How long have you played?"

He ordered another pint before answering "Five years on and off. I used to be in a jazz band with a few friends"

"Used to?" Kenny set the water and pint down in front of them before smiling at her and walking over to serve a few other customers. The place was filling up.

"Friends got married or moved away"

"Ah yes, that does happen" She swallowed a few mouthfuls of her water.

"Yes, most of my friends are married and having kids so playing in a jazz band was too much time commitment- pick up football though is a good though- only about two hours when all is said and done"

"Yeah, it isn't too bad, plus you get time with friends and a workout, can't go wrong with that"

"Exactly. Do you play any sports?"

"I play some American football at my local gym, and Frisbee. I used to play football but my rec league fell apart so I'm content with watching the premier league. Before you ask Everton is my favorite club"

"Really? Why Everton?"

"I don't really know…. For a while I just watch games not really cheering for anyone but then I guess I just felt a connection to Everton and have been cheering for them for five years."

"You watched them in the States?"

"Oh yeah, they play the Premier league over there"

"My team is Crystal Palace-I've been a fan for as long as I can remember"

"I understand. You support who you support. Have to stay faithful"

They continued their talk about sports with Tanzen keeping half an eye on John Watson. He stayed put and even ordered a second pint which he was drinking much faster than his last one and looked like he was going to order another. Maybe he was going to stay later- that would be good. Maybe… she wasn't sure what time it was when she saw him kidnapped… maybe leaving earlier would have been better.

Soon it was past ten thirty and she saw John ask for his check and she looked over at Kenny and gestured to her drinks and he smiled and held up a two and a five. Okay 25… so thirty She rummaged in her wallet for thirty pounds"Hey so I think I'm gonna run. I have some plans early and I still have to get home"

"Let me walk you out"

"No worries, I'm good" She found thirty and Patrick held up his hand

"No, I asked you to come and I got this"

"No I couldn't let you do that" She placed the pounds on the counter just as John was heading out. "I'll see you at work Monday" She quickly slipped out before he could follow her.

It was cool out but still pretty nice and she quickly looked around for John Watson and she saw him about a block ahead of her. God did he move quickly. He stumbled a little… just like he did in her vision. Shit. She moved faster towards him and got pretty close by the time he turned down an alley… she knew this road. It lead out to York.

"John Watson?" She called out and he paused and looked back at her. Shit what was she going to say?

"Ah…yes, um who are you?" He squinted slightly at her as she got closer. They were halfway down the alley when she got close enough to him.

"Tanzen" She left out her last name "I'm I was just at John's and saw you there and wanted to talk with you. Could I speak with you in a cab?" Maybe if she posed as a client…

"Tanzen? Well I am really in no mood to talk to clients today, maybe tomorrow" He turned and started walking down the alley and she darted after him and grabbed his arm.

"No!" She yelped and quickly let go of him "I'm sorry but it isn't safe for you to go that way. I'm sorry for the lies but I heard someone say that they were going to jump you on York to send a message to Sherlock" She babbled and John looked at her like she was crazy "Please, just trust me. I'll pay for your cab and everything just don't walk that way please" She took a step back and watched him think over her words.

"No- tell Mycroft it won't work this time, I don't want a cab, I want to walk home and then I'm going to bed" She grabbed his arm again but he pulled away "Look just leave me in peace and go tell Mycroft to fuck off"

"I don't know Mycroft. Please Mr. Watson, trust me please" She followed him a bit and wondered what would happen if she walked with him all the way to his apartment.

"Stop following me and leave me in peace" he kept walking and she paused… did she keep following? She felt her phone buzz and glanced a few times at John as he walked down the ally and she pulled out her phone and answered it.

"Hello?" There was a slight buzzing sound on the other end and she made a small circle in the alley, walking more towards the end she entered into, forgetting for a moment about John Watson which was not a good idea

"Hello, it this Tanzen McGower?"

"Yeah" she said in a distracted tone. When Tanzen turned back towards where Joh disappeared she saw a car drive by. "Shit" She muttered and jogged down the alley as a voice muttered on the line about something and turned onto the street just in time to see John pushed into the Trunk "JOHN!" She called and started towards the car. The car pulled away as two men looked at her before they advanced on her. She heard a voice on her phone still and she put it to her ear as she slowly backed away from the two men advancing on her.

"Call the cops- please" Tanzen breathed before she quickly ended the call and started to run back the way she came. She could hear the men follow after her and she ran back down the alley. They were gaining she was sure. She wasn't in the best shoes for running for but at least they weren't heels. She was just about just about to the main road when a hand grabbed her and pulled her against the wall.

Crack

Her head it the brick hard, and her vision swarmed slightly but she blindly threw a punch and hit a jaw before she squirted out onto the main road and then was surrounded by people. Her head throbbed something terrible and suddenly the pressure was coming back in full force. Why though? It just happened why again? Tanzen's left hand clutched her head as she continued to stumble away, glancing behind her to see no one following her. She turned back around and almost ran right into Patrick.

"Tanzen" He sounded puzzled and she greedily gulped air.

"Patrick" She gasped "We need to get out of here" She looked behind her and walked towards the road. She grabbed his arm with her right hand and was going to lead them both to the road but had to stop as the world started to spin a bit. She look at her left hand and saw some blood.

"Tanzen what is going on? Where are we going? What happened to your head?" He was staring at her and both of his hands clutched her shoulders as he tried to steady her.

She opened her mouth to answer but her vision started to tunnel and the world tilted. She could hear distant sounds but suddenly she fell forward and then everything was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

Another chapter down. I hope you guys enjoy!

* * *

 _Water surrounded by concrete_

 _Red dots on chests_

" _That's what people DO"_

 _A vest with lights_

BEEP

" _Sherlock?"_

" _What else shall I make him say?"_

 _Water surrounded by concrete_

BEEP

 _Red dots on chests_

" _Daddy's had enough now"_

BEEP

 _Red dots on chests_

BEEP

 _Dark hair, impossibly dark eyes… melted chocolate eyes_

BEEP

BEEP

BEEP

BEEP

Tanzen could only really hear that beeping… god was it annoying. As it truly started to get annoying her other senses starting coming back to her. First her awareness of how much pain she was in. Man did her head hurt. Then she could taste the alcohol still on her tongue- though it tasted far worse now than it did going down. Tanzen was then acutely aware of the terrible smell invading her nose. That sickeningly clean yet dirty smell of a hospital. Once she noticed that did all the other sounds of a hospital permeate into her brain. The calls for different doctors, the endless talking, the TV's on too loud, the crying, the yelling, the squeak of shoes, the deafening noise. Then she forced her eyes open and looked around her.

"Tanzen?" A male voice asked… but it wasn't really a question "Thank god" She moved her eyes over and saw Patrick get up and move to the door "Doctor? Please someone, she woke up!" he called before coming back in "Tanzen don't worry, someone will be in soon. You had a rough knock on your head"

"What?" She said softly. She thought back to before. She had for some reason agreed to go to the bar with Patrick… she saw John Watson sitting alone… Her and Patrick had talked but then she had to go away… she felt the knowing… she saw "John Watson" She said softly "Patrick you have to call the police, John Watson was kidnapped!" She said urgently

"Tanzen? How the hell do you know that?"

"I saw it happen, I saw him pushed into a trunk, and you have to call the police" She tried to sit up further but her world tilted and hands stopped her.

"Tanzen" Patrick said softly "You had a really hard knock, you probably just had a bad dream"

"Patrick please-"She looked at him and then about noticing the light blocking curtains hung on the windows… but she couldn't tell if there was light behind them. Her TV was off but she could have sworn she heard a report begin with 'and finally this morning' How long had she been here? "Patrick… what time is it?"

Patrick sighed "It's 6am- you have been out for about 7 hours now"

"Jesus Christ" She blinked and tried to sit up again and was pushed back down by Patrick "Let me go. You have to call the Police"

"Tazen-"

"Oh- you are awake!" She stopped trying to fight Patrick and looked over at the man who entered. He was a kind looking doctor with ginger hair and large blue eyes. "Tanzen McGower yes?" He approached and waved off Patrick "I'm Dr. Sullivan" His Irish accent was hard but pleasant "You had quite a night. Rather high blood alcohol level but you are here for that egg that will be on your head for a while"

"Please Dr. Sullivan you have to call the police- John Watson was kidnapped last night"

He looked at her funny and sighed "You had a lot to drink and you did hit your head I think you probably just imagined that-"

"No I didn't. He was drinking at the bar where we were last night" She thought of what to say, since she obviously couldn't say how she really knew what happened. Then she quickly continued before anyone could stop her "He left, I followed. I asked him a personal question because I knew his ties with Sherlock Holmes. He said to come to their apartment and then continued down the alley. I was about to leave him when I heard screeching tires. I ran and saw him being shoved into a car trunk"

Both men looked a little shocked to say the least "One call couldn't hurt?" Patrick muttered and stood, pulling out his phone.

"Thank you" She muttered. She looked at her doctor with a sigh "So when can I get out of here?"

"Soon. We are just going to do a quick check over you and then you should be alright. You may have a concussion so please take things slowly. Don't drive any vehicle for at least a week or so. I would also advise against drinking for at least two weeks, maybe more." He gave her a pointed look "Here" he handed her a pamphlet. "This is information about concussions and what to do and what to avoid" I'm going to run a few tests and then we can start on your discharge paperwork"

As he was about to begin Patrick walked in "Well I called them, they are looking into it"

She sighed- maybe they would find him soon, she hoped it was alright. She already lost so much time being here… "Can you run these tests so I can get out of here?"

So they did the tests. And she was cleared. And then she could leave. She was changing into her street clothes in the bathroom and looked into the mirror. She definitely looked like shit. And her boss saw her looking like shit. God she couldn't believe she passed out in his arms. She grumbled to herself as she washed her face quickly, rinsed out her mouth of the taste of liquor as best she could, and drank some water from the faucet. She exited the bathroom feeling a little better, but Patrick was still there and he was waiting by the counter with her the doctor.

She walked up to them and sighed "So I'm all clear yeah? Great where do I sign?" Patrick sighed and moved aside for her. She gave them her insurance card, signed some papers and then smiled at Dr. Sullivan "Thanks Doc"

"Ready Tanzen?" She took a mental moment and nodded before she walked down the hall, Patrick hot on her heels "I'll drop you off at home, I would like to know you made it safe"

"That isn't necessary. I just really want to forget that this happened. I had fun last night but do you mind if we pretend everything after never took place?"

She didn't look at him but she knew he was frowning. When they got outside he touched her arm. She stopped and looked at him "Please?"

"Fine, it never happened. I'll see you Monday unless you need a day?"

"I'll be fine" She said softly and nodded "Have a great weekend… And thank you"

Before he answered she hailed a cab and got in. "Where to?" He driver asked and she pulled her eyes away from Patrick to look at the driver

"Baker Street, 221" She said softly. She had to go to Sherlock and tell him. Maybe the police would take her words seriously maybe they wouldn't but she had to do something.

* * *

They pulled up close to 9am and she pulled out the necessary fare before climbing out of the cab and walking up to the door. She hesitated before gathering her courage and knocking. It only took a few moments before the door opened. An older woman answered. She wasn't 'old' but she did have a few stray grey hairs. She had a kind face and smiled "Hello Dear, are you here for the boys? They got in early this morning, not sure if they will be up at this hour but we can try"

"Boys?"

"Sherlock and John of course! That is why you are here? People only come if they need help"

"Wait John is here?"

"Yes, I heard them both. Not that I was waiting for them, I am a light sleeper you know"

"John is here" She said softly and looked around "But he was kidnapped last night?" The woman laughed

"Now that is an imagination you have, he is fine, just came back late. They both did, like I said. They do have their late nights. Most couples do early on. Not that they will admit it but a woman always knows" The woman gave a knowing smile.

"Do you mind if I" She gestured up and the woman shook her head "No of course not, just knock. They usually don't sleep in but you never know. I'll bring up a spot of tea." She turned to go through the open door before spinning quickly "I'm Mrs. Hudson dear, and they are just right up the stairs, I'll be up shortly" She went into her apartment and Tanzen looked up the stairs before taking a deep breath.

"Alright Tanzen… let's do this" she said softly and then started to climb the stairs. A few steps creaked something terrible, she paused only for a moment before she continued all the way up and then was faced with a door. She looked at it for a few seconds before gathering her courage. She had to know… she had to. She raised a hand and knocked hard on the door.

Silence. She waited a little before knocking again, with a bit more force. There. She heard a groan and something being dropped on a table. Quick footsteps and the door was pulled open by a tall dark haired man with bright blue eyes. They were beautiful eyes. The eyes of the brilliant detective Sherlock Holmes "Mr. Holmes?" She said and she could see annoyance flash through those blue eyes before he turned away

"Boring"

"Wait" She followed him "Mr. Holmes John Watson has been kidnapped!" she said and watched him pause.

"Kidnapped?"

"Yes, last night, he was shoved in a trunk"

"Boot"

"Yeah whatever, trunk" She looked at him. He didn't look concerned. "Well?"

"Well what?"

"John was kidnapped"

"Yes he was" He turned towards the table and lifted a rather large book and started to flip through it. Tanzen huffed and walked over to him and grabbed his arm pulling his body and his gaze back to her.

"So what the hell are you doing?"

"What is going on here- You!" Tanzen turned to the voice of John Watson. She let go of Sherlock's arm as she looked over Watson. He looked… alright. Tired but alright.

"How…."

"Obviously I found him"

"Sherlock…" John sighed and rubbed his eyes "It is too early for this and I want you to leave now" he pointed at her.

"What did I do?" She asked frowning "I tried to prevent your kidnapping John Watson and you just walked right off into danger" she barked and then felt her world spin at a dizzying pace as Sherlock grabbed her arm.

"What do you mean prevent? How did you know it was going to happen?" He looked angry…. Very angry. She reached for her head as her world continued to spin for a bit.

"Sherlock stop! Can't you see she is"

"Concussed yes. Has dried blood on her head, smells of a hospital and is wearing the same clothes she was last night. She hit her head sometime after she saw you and spent the night with her… boss? Yes her Boss at the hospital with her"

"How the fuck do you know that?" She asked and looked at herself. Before looking back at him "How did you know my boss was with me?"

"No Sherlock not now" John commanded "Come on, sit down, I'll get a cup of water" he gestured to a chair in front of two armchairs. She moved to it and slowly sat down. John handed her a cup a moment later and she nodded her thanks and took a sip.

"How did you know?"

"Easy" Sherlock moved from the kitchen and walked towards her as he spoke "you have the faint smell of cologne on you, but it hasn't permeated your clothing fully. Plus this isn't someone would wear out and it has the wrinkles indicative of second time wear. So it had to be a co-worker. Now boss or friend. You have feint bite marks on your lower lip, could be a habit but they are new, not old, so biting your lip could mean interest or annoyance. After assessing your personality it wasn't hard to deduce it was probably from annoyance. As you don't seem the type to say yes to a co-worker who you don't like it must have been that your boss ask you on a date and you were annoyed but decided to see if you could end his interests with intimidation by out drinking him. You still have whiskey on your breath, even though you rinsed your mouth well with water" By the time he was done he was standing right in front of her.

"Huh" She said softly and nodded "Figures" She looked at them both and sighed "Well since you are fine I think I'll be off" She moved to stand but Sherlock put his hand on her shoulder and pushed her back down. She narrowed her eyes "Don't do that again" She warned.

"You will tell me how you knew that John was going to be kidnapped?"

"She said she overheard someone talking" John said intervening "She said she heard someone say they were going to jump me to send you a message"

"Is that exactly what she told you? Jump you… not kidnap" John paused and then slowly nodded. Sherlock looked at her "How did you know he was going to be kidnapped?"

"I didn't, I saw it happen"

"No, you said you were trying to prevent his kidnapping, which means you knew it was going to happen. So tell me how you knew?"

She looked away. Fuck… What to say… What to say… "I can't tell you" She said and looked back at him "And I don't want to, besides, it doesn't matter. It happened anyway and he is fine. This was a mistake" She said and stood moving towards the door before Sherlock spoke.

"You are scared" Sherlock said softly "You don't want to tell us why because you are afraid. Not of how you would be seen by us after we knew… you don't care about that… no you are scared of something else." She turned and looked at him.

"You don't know what you are talking about" She narrowed her eyes "You don't know anything" She turned to leave but then a smell invaded her senses as she moved past coast. Chlorine. "What…" she said softly and looked at the coats. Chlorine… water surrounded by concrete… a pool. "Where were you taken John?" She asked softly and looked back at them "Where?"

John looked surprised and looked at Sherlock who shook his head as he looked her over "You already know where he was taken don't you? How do you know? No one else was at the pool. Are you one of his?" Sherlock moved towards her again but John shot up and grabbed him.

"Stop it this instant! Someone explain what the HELL is going on!"

He looked between them both but Tanzen shook her head and with a quick "I'm sorry" she was darting down the steps to the sound of Watson yelling after her. She shot down the hall and out onto the street, pulling the door closed behind her. She hustled down the road and hailed a cab home, never looking back at 221B Baker Street and never once seeing the face of one Sherlock Holmes looking out the apartment window at her texting on his phone.

* * *

She made it home in record time, but she didn't find any peace when she arrived. It was just about the moment she opened her apartment did that terrible feeling creep into her head. "What the Fuck?" She whispered. It was never this bad. She was usually given a reprieve after she had an episode. She usually had some time… this was insane. She wanted to reach for those bottles, or that Excedrin but she wasn't sure how Excedrin would affect her concussion and she knew alcohol was a bad idea. She usually didn't care about what a doctor would say but she didn't really want to mess up her head any more than it was already messed up. She sighed and sat down with her head in her hands. How often would this happen now? Was it triggered by her head injury? She laid back on her couch and sighed. Might as well get this over with. She took a deep breath and let her mind latch onto the feeling that the Knowing brought. Let her mind wrap itself in it and dive into it. _Just like riding a bike_ she thought as she felt herself being pulled away from the present and hurtled towards the future.

* * *

 _There was a beautiful woman talking on the phone. She had dark brown and auburn hair with steel eyes. She reclined in a chair looking at a picture of Sherlock as she spoke "I'll take care of the Virgin, you can concern yourself with the Iceman. I know all of his weaknesses and he does look rather delicious" She paused then laughed "I could teach him a few things- he could lose your nickname for him" She put the picture down and leaned forward in the chair "I always keep my promises, and I'm not stupid enough to double cross you Moriarty" She stood and looked at a picture above a fireplace mantle_ _before pulling it aside and imputing 322234 into the keypad revealed_ _. She looked inside it and pulled out a phone. The woman entered 7437 into the phone and started to flip through pictures "As long as you keep up your end" She said softly and hung up. She looked at another picture before looking down at Sherlock's photo again "Soon Dear, Soon"_

* * *

Tanzen gasped awake and looked around. It was still daytime, which was nice. She looked around and then her stomach growled, pulling her attention from anything else. She got up off the couch and busied herself with making a quick sandwich for lunch. She ate it in silence and rubbed her head "Jesus Christ" she said softly before getting up and walking over to her bathroom. She removed her clothes before slipping into the shower stall. She turned on the water and didn't flinch as the cold water hit her before rapidly turning hot. She just stood there unmoving before she punched the wall "Why did I do that?" She let her head follow her head to the wall as water pounded her back. She leaned her head back into the spray and asked herself why she went there. Why she felt the need to check in on John. Why she was getting involved again when she told herself years ago she was done with all that. She couldn't help anyone- John Watson's kidnapping was evident of that. So why was she contemplating going back and warning Sherlock? Why was she risking exposure to tell him to be careful because a beautiful woman was working with a person named Moriarty who wanted to hurt him and someone named Iceman? Maybe she could leave a note? Write a letter? Yes… no guarantee that he would take it seriously. She could try… OR she could go back to the way her life was before all this mess. She could just forget each episode and pretend it never happened. She can move on with her life and stop messing in everyone's business. She washed her hair and body before stepping out into the bathroom and wrapped herself up in a towel.

She stared into the mirror and sighed "What do I do?" she asked softly. She looked at her reflection and bit her lip "You know this is a bad idea yes?" Tanzen then laughed at herself "So is talking to yourself Tanzen" she muttered and walked out of the bathroom and into her bedroom. She changed into some running clothes- she needed to clear her head. She also wrote a quick note to Mr. Sherlock Holmes about this beautiful woman working for Moriarty. She wrote the combination to the safe and to the phone she pulled out of it. She put in as much information about the room that she could and anything else she thought might be helpful. She sealed it with glue and put a stamp on it before writing down the address. She put it in the pocket of her jacket before lacing up her running shoes and grabbing her phone, headphones, and apartment key.

Tanzen left her apartment, locked up and then stopped at the outgoing mail box. She stared at it for a moment and even took out the letter. She looked over it and the box before sighing and running a hand through her hair before she shook her head, stuffed the envelope back in her jacket pocket and stepped outside. Running probably wasn't a smart call with a goose egg on the back of her head so she settled on a quick walk. She plugged her headphones into her phone and started Pandora up as she let her mind wander. Would she interfere again? Was it worth it to try to change something she never could? No one believed her…who would when her own mother didn't? She chewed on her lip as sadness filled her chest, she missed her mother, and she missed home. Tanzen allowed herself a moment of self-pity before she got back to the task at hand. What would she do?

She passed by another mailbox and nodded to herself and pulled out the letter. However before she could put it in the box her phone rang. She sighed and slide her thumb over the screen to answer the phone as she moved to open the mailbox "Hello?"

"Do not place that letter in that mailbox" the voice instructed.

"Excuse me? Who is this? This isn't funny" She snarled and looked around the street but no one was looking at her. She moved towards the box again but a red dot appeared on her hand. She jerked away and the dot went away.

"I said do not put that letter in that mailbox. There is a car pulling up, you will get into it"

"Like hell I will"

"You will or you won't be going anywhere again" The voice was serious. She could tell… there was no play in it, no tone to indicate a joke. She looked around and saw a black car pull up. "Get into the backseat of the car and hand your phone over to the person inside" She looked around, wishing to ask for help but knew it was useless. Tanzen ran a hand through her damp hair and sighed before bucking up her courage and stepping towards the car and opening the door in the back and sliding in. She pulled her headphones out of the phone and handed it over to the man inside. He took it and held it to his ear.

"It's me" he said softly and nodded a few times "Understood" He then ended the call and shut off the phone by removing the battery. He gave the phone back to her but pocketed the battery. He leaned over her and pulled the door close before leaning back. "You will need to wear this" he held up a black bag "You can't know where we go" As if he could see her argument coming he continued "You will put this on, or I will knock you out" he looked big enough to do it, but he would probably do it with drugs… more reliable. She grumbled and snatched the bag before tossing over her head and crossing her arms over her chest. "Thank you" The man said before Tanzen felt a needle stab into her arm. She ripped the bag off but her vision was already starting to swim.

"What the-"She tried to reach for the door but the man took hold of her hands and then she felt darkness surround her.

A blink later she was gasping for air. She was seated in an uncomfortable chair with a table in front of her and an empty chair on the other side. There was a light above her and her hands were tied to the arms of the chair. Why couldn't she see shit like this in her visions? Why couldn't she see helpful crap like this? She could have just stayed at her apartment. She noticed that her jacket was gone, as was the letter…. Shit. She whipped her head around but didn't see anyone around her. What the hell was going on? The door to her left opened and a tall and somewhat fit man walked through. He had thin hair and an air of confidence and arrogance about him. She hated him already.

"Tanzen McGower. Single and never married. 24. Secretary at IBM to a Patrick Osweller. Both BS and MS in Computer Science. Moved to London after you received your masters. Your Father left you when you were 7 and your mother died when you were 16. You live in a nice apartment that you are renting far below its worth. You have a motorcycle that you probably can't afford and have a slight addiction to alcohol."

"So you're a stalker" She said bitingly but he continued

"So tell me Ms. McGower, when did Moriarty find you and when did you decide to betray him?" He asked in such a straight forward fashion she had to blink a few times to try to catch up with him.

"What?"

"You knew John Watson was going to be kidnapped before it happened. You knew that he was at a pool even though the police were not notified. You also had in your possession a letter describing an accomplice of his trying to warn Sherlock. So why did Moriarty recruit you? Are you tech support? You wrote plenty of useful programs in Graduate school. When did he approach you? You aren't being paid… your bank accounts show nothing out of the ordinary, just school debt"

"You looked at my bank accounts? You researched my entire life? Who the hell do you think you are? You kidnap me, threaten me, drug me, and now you picked through my life and are trying to interrogate me? Fuck you" She snapped. The man across from her was not deterred.

"My only concern is the safety of this nation, Moriarty is a threat to that. If you have information about him I want it. Sherlock seems to think you realized what he did and-"

"Wait Sherlock? What the hell does he have to do with this? You can't hold me here, I demand to see a lawyer"

"Ms. McGower, I don't think you understand what is going on. You are not going to get a lawyer. I will hold you here and we will extract what you know about Moriarty because he is a threat to this nation's security. If you have information we will obtain it."

"People will know I'm missing, they will wonder where I went"

"You don't have any close friends, and your boss will assume your concussion was worse than you wanted to admit and just forgot to call in as you got some rest. If this takes too long we will send a letter of resignation to your work"

"You can't do this" she said softly and looked around "I don't know who this Moriarty is, I don't have any of the answers you want. I don't know anything"

"This letter" The man pulls out her letter and puts it on the table "Begs to differ"

"I heard someone talking, that's all. I'm a good listener. No one ever notices me"

"I doubt that" the man look unconvinced "No, people don't discuss this sort of thing in front of people they don't know"

"They discuss it when they think they are alone. The woman never saw me. She was talking on the phone in her living room and I watched her plug those numbers into the safe and watched her unlock the phone okay? I recognized Sherlock and decided I should warn him" She pulled at her restraints "Let me go"

"I'm sorry my dear, but I can't do that. You will tell us the truth"

"I'm telling you the truth, I saw her talking on the phone, saw her open her safe and unlock her phone. That's it"

"She is telling the truth brother" Sherlock's voice buzzed in over a speaker that Tanzen never noticed.

"Brother?" She looked at the man and narrowed her eyes "Are you kidding me?" She pulled at her restraints again as the door open and Sherlock Holmes walked in. She narrowed her eyes "Get your brother to let me go" she snarled and he looked her over with puzzlement in his eyes.

"How did you see those things? How did you know?"

"I just did okay? I am prone to spying- I'm surprised that didn't come up in your file" she sneered at the other man before looking back at Sherlock "I was trying to help alright? Last time I do that, scouts honor" she held up three fingers in the Girl Scout's salute before leaning back in her chair.

"John was taken to a swimming pool and had a bomb strapped to his chest via a vest. Moriarty did that to him. He also blew up an old woman mid-week during a game of ours. At the pool he had snipers aimed at us until he received a phone call at which point he left the two of us to live… for now" As Sherlock spoke Tanzen saw the vest with lights and red dots on chests again. She looked away and Sherlock smiled "You saw that too didn't you?"

"Sherlock?" Her brother asked "How would she have seen that? She has no weapon's training. Moriarty wouldn't have brought a tech girl along"

"I don't know this Moriarty and I wasn't there"

"But you saw it"

"No"

"Yes. You were remembering something when I spoke. Remembering scenes and details. You saw it, I know you did"

"Prove it" She said and watched him "You can't because I wasn't there. Maybe I remembered how a friend of mine died via explosion. Maybe I didn't care about your story and remembered that I was out of eggs"

"Sherlock this is ridiculous. She doesn't know anything else"

"It's not like you to give up so easily Mycroft"

"It's not like Moriarty to employ something like her. She doesn't fit. She was just lucky to have stayed hidden" His brother stood and walked towards the door "Ms. McGower, you will be released and brought back to your apartment with your keys, phone, battery, and headphones returned to you. We will erase your student loans with the understanding that you will not speak about this to anyone"

"I don't want your money" She snapped. While some would call her stupid, and she probably was, she was in agreement with herself. She did not want that money. She didn't want anything from this asshole who kidnapped her and drugged her.

"Regardless, it will be done. You will not speak about this. I will know" He left and she looked at Sherlock who was staring at her.

"What?"

"You are leaving something important out… I am not sure what…but something"

"I'm not hiding anything"

"Doubtful"

Tanzen narrowed her eyes "Your brother's threats or not if I feel either of you watching me or following me I will make your life a living hell"

"I'm sure you will Tanzen, I'm sure you will" He moved forward and untied her arms and walked towards the door "Coming?"

She rubbed her wrists and nodded "Yeah, I'm coming"

* * *

Thankfully the rest of the weekend was uneventful. No one followed her. No unknown numbers. Nothing. Monday was pretty quiet too. Patrick following her wishes and pretending like Friday night didn't end the way it did, which meant he asked to take her out this Friday to a different place, a nicer restaurant with food that's main ingredient wasn't grease. She told him she would think about it, that she was feeling a bit off and didn't want to cancel on him later. He took that answer and then left her to her work. Thankfully the rest of the day was fairly peaceful. The normal amount of calls, a normal amount of email. Nothing crazy happened and she left on time and made it to her apartment in record time.

Sherlock's brother Mycroft did end up paying off her loans… she was pretty pissed off about it, but now she was without a massive debt hanging over her and he did owe her… kind of. She just didn't like it because it felt like she was paid off, even if she didn't agree to the payments. Well it is what it is, not like she could change it now.

The rest of the week went by like Monday. She didn't have any more episodes and she told Patrick she wasn't up for another date so she was successfully free for the weekend. She has been good and abstained from drinking anything but she really wanted just one beer. Could that really do too much harm? It had been a whole week and she felt normal. She went for it and walked over to John's. She smiled at Kenny "So riding solo tonight. Good, that guy couldn't drink well enough to keep up with you" Tanzen laughed and sat at the bar. "What are you looking for? The usual?"

"Unfortunately, not tonight. I took a hit last time and the Doc doesn't want me having any hard alcohol"

"I'm sure he didn't say that… probably told you to put all alcohol on hold"

"Maybe" she blushed and gave him her best begging face "Just a small beer? Please Kenny? It's Friday?" She even pushed her lower lip out comically and he laughed and nodded.

"Sure Tanzen, just a short one but then nothing got it?"

"Scouts honor" she held up her three fingers and laughed as he shook his head and poured her a short beer. "I love you"

"I know" He walked off to serve a few other regulars as Tanzen took a slow and appreciative sip. She did love the taste of beer and liquor. This was her favorite. And it was exactly what she needed. Until she heard a voice behind her.

"I'm sure the doctor told you not to drink for at least another week" She sighed and let her drink rest on the table as she banged her forehead to the bar top

"Go away Sherlock"

"That probably isn't good for your concussion either"

"I said go away. If I ever see you again it will be too soon"

"I wanted to say thank you for the letter. We caught the woman you saw. We are trying to get her to give us information about her employer but, it is difficult"

"Sucks to be you, now if you will excuse me, I have a beer to drink"

"I am no stranger to puzzles Ms. McGower. I pride myself on figuring them out in timely fashions and explaining away all prior mystery that they once held. I have worked at how you could have possibly know any of these things with no solution that is satisfying"

"It's only been a week, maybe you aren't as good as you think"

"No, I am missing pieces with no way to get them. Well there is a way but-"

"As interesting as that is" she lifted her drink and downed it. She wiped her mouth and looked at him "I don't care if you ever solve this. I would rather you didn't. I'm not going to help you now leave me be" she stood up and then wavered slightly but not from the beers. Shit. The Knowing. It was coming and fast… and she had to get rid of Holmes before she lost it. The Bathroom. Like before that would be a good spot.

She placed money on the bar for Kenny and started to move towards the bathroom when Sherlock stopped her "You need to sit back down and drink water, you shouldn't have downed that beer" She rolled her eyes and pushed around him.

"I need for you to leave me alone" she got towards the bathrooms and one was open "Excuse me" she went inside and locked it before her vision started to swarm and she leaned on the wall and sunk to the floor as a fist knocked and someone called to her.

* * *

" _Someone is spilling the beans, find out who and make them bleed" the Irish accent filled the room. It wasn't a loud voice, not yet, but it commanded the room. She saw the back of a chair, a desk with a few folders on it, and a man standing by the door on the other side of the room. The other chair was empty._

" _Well she was caught before the game even started" a pause and then a cruel laugh "She knows better" the chair was pushed away from the desk and a silhouette of a man came into view. Not terribly tall but imposing none the less, even from behind. "Find out who he spoke with and bring them to me or I'll end you"_

 _He phone was put down and the man looked over his desk and looked up at the other man by the door "You said before there was a complication last week in getting the good doctor?"_

" _Yes Sir"_

" _What was it again?"_

" _The boys were seen by a girl. They caught her and gave her a nasty hit on the head but she escaped. They didn't pursue as they already had Watson in the trunk and incapacitated"_

" _Who was this girl?"_

" _Unknown, they never pursued"_

" _Maybe it is time to pursue then… bets Seb? Wrong place wrong time or fate?"_

" _I never bet against you, I always lose"_

 _The man laughed and nodded "Yes, you do… well I'm going to say it's fate. More Poetic no?"_

" _Yes Sir, it is"_

" _Find her and bring me everything on her. Oh and also kill Joe, Bill, or whatever his name is that set up that kidnapping. He obviously can't do anything right if he lets a girl escape!" his voice took a crazy sounding tone as he sat back down and opened his laptop as he began humming what sounded like 'God Save the Queen'_

* * *

Tanzen jerked awake as Sherlock continued to pound on the door and muttered one single word.

"Fuck"


	3. Chapter 3

We are a little closer to the Tanzen/Moriarty interaction. Next chapter I promise. I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think! Thanks guys :-)

* * *

She splashed water on her face as Sherlock continued to knock on the door "Go away!" She shouted as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. This was really bad. Exceedingly bad actually. That had to have been Moriarty. That had to have been… And now he was going to be looking for her. And Fate? What the hell did that mean?

She dried her face with rough paper towels and then ran her hands through her hair. "Let's do this" she muttered and with a practiced movement she unlocked and opened the door, which resulted in Sherlock almost knocking her right between the eyes "What are you doing?"

"You stormed off, you didn't look well, you could have passed out" He looked her over and nodded "You did pass out. You need to go back to the hospital" just stared at her… it was really annoying.

"I'm fine"

"You knew you were going to pass out"

"Yeah, so? I didn't want to do it around you" She pushed past him and made her way to the exit.

"But you weren't concerned"

"No, I'm fine" She shouldered the door after giving a salute to Kenny. The wind bite into her as she made it onto the sidewalk. She pulled her jacket a bit closer to her and started walking towards the tube.

"This has happened before"

"Look" She turned and poked his chest with her finger "Just knock it off alright? Leave me alone. Stop following, stop thinking about me, just stop everything all together" She didn't wait for him to respond before she turned hotly on her heel and made her way to the road to hail a cab. "Taxi!" She called as one drove right by "Seriously?" she muttered.

"I will figure you out" She turned and saw Sherlock not three feet from her "I always do"

"Go ahead, figure me out, just do me a favor, yeah?" A cab finally pulled out and she opened the back door "Don't come near me again" She pulled the door shut behind her and sighed "Can you just drive a bit until that man can't see us then pull over? I actually don't have enough money to get back to my apartment" She said softly as the cabbie pulled away.

"Sure thing" American. North East. Wow it had been awhile, well since she spoke with Luke, but she hadn't seen him this week.

"Wow, nice to hear that accent. What state did you come from?"

"Rhode Island, you?"

"Maryland"

"So where is your apartment? I almost have an obligation to help a fellow patriot out in the land of red coats"

Tanzen laughed and gave him her address "Thanks… I really didn't want to take the tube"

"No one ever wants to take the tube"

They made small talk for the rest of the ride and when they arrived she passed him a few bills but he shook his head "No worries, just helping out" She smiled and nodded at him

"Thanks" She got out and then made her way into her apartment building. It was fairly quiet today, which was good because she needed to think. She didn't know when that man, who was probably this Moriarty everyone was worries about, was ordering more information about her. It could be right now, or it could be in a week…or six. She was leaning towards sooner though- Sherlock said they caught the woman she saw and that is what that man said… that she was caught before the game even started. Chances are that her vision was happening soon. So what do you do when you know someone is looking for you? Someone who obviously has no qualms with killing people.

She could run… there was always that option. It wasn't a very good option though. Everyone would know she was hiding something, more so than Sherlock already suspected. Having both the Sherlock brothers and this mystery man look for her wasn't what she was hoping for.

She could tell Sherlock the truth… maybe he could help? "yeah right" she muttered. Even if she did tell him the truth, there was no way he would or could believe her. Besides, he would tell his brother and then her life would be over.

Pretend that she knew nothing. Yes… Moriarty had no idea that she was the one spoiling his plans. He only knew she got away from his thugs. That she almost ruined a kidnapping that happened anyway. And it wasn't like he would find out either. She doubted he spoke with Mycroft or Sherlock about who was the rat. Maybe he wouldn't even approach her. Maybe she would be able to fade into the background as everyone became concerned with bigger and more important things.

She started to feel a bit better about her last option. Nothing would come from Moriarty's attention, he was likely to research her, realize it was just a bad coincidence and then turn his attention back to Sherlock. She would be fine, there was no need to worry, she could do this. She could weather this storm like all the others.

She let herself into the apartment- it was quite like always and with a flight of the switch by the door her hallways was illuminated in a soft light. She went to her kitchen, filled a tall glass with water and carried it to her bedroom. She undressed quickly, pulled on shorts and a sports bra before gulping about half of the glass of water and laying down. She just wanted to sleep off this night and all the problems it presented. Tanzen let her arm drape over her eyes and just focused on steadying her breathing. It was time to forget about today, tomorrow would bring its own problems that would need to be dealt with.

And was she right. She was woken by the lovely sound of her smoke alarm at 2:34am. She pulled a loose sweatshirt on and investigated. No smoke, no fire, just a glaring alarm. She used one of her chairs to pull the batteries out of the detector but now she was up, and she had a huge headache. To busy herself she turned on the TV, which she generally knew better at this time of night but she couldn't help it. She was visually assaulted with some pretty awful shows but worst of all those flashy and loud commercials. She immediately shut off the TV and squeezed her eyes closed. "Not now not now not now" she muttered softly. But the headache that was just a normal headache slowly ebbed away to the clutches of The Knowing. "Shit" she got up and looked around. She couldn't risk downing half a bottle of whiskey… not yet. She frowned and sighed, she only had herself to blame. She knew what those commercials did to her. She knew how popular they were at night… she really should just get rid of her TV to mediate the risk, but it was like admitting defeat, or at least it felt like it did. "Great Tanzen, just great" she muttered and went back to the bedroom, might as well get comfy for this. The feeling sunk into her mind and tugged her away from the present and once again she was flung into the future

* * *

 _There were voices talking behind a door. It looked a little familiar but was the door of any office building to be honest. A standard door with frosted glass windows to let her only see the vague shapes of bodies on the other side. Both of the people talking were men, though one was talking a lot more than the other… almost apologetically. Like he was late with something or other. The other man made a few statements that seemed to have quite the impact as the other man grew a bit louder for a moment before suddenly stopping and starting again only at a much softer tone. A pleading tone? She couldn't be sure but it didn't sound good._

" _You are in over your... This is my price for …. have, get it …. very disappointed" The voice was accented but it was hard to tell what accent. She could only hear bits of what he said anyway. The voice grew louder as one shape moved towards the door "Don't do anything stupid now" the Irish voice teased as the door open, revealing a slight but definitely fit and attractive man. He had dark well-kept hair, a touch of a stubble beard and mustache, a cut jaw line and the deepest most delicious brown eyes Tanzen ever saw. He was wearing a perfectly tailored suit that made him look like he owned the world and from his presence it would be hard to say he didn't. He walked through the room without a word, though his eyes glanced to the side, giving the briefest of smirks before he walked right out of the room._

* * *

Tanzen didn't wake until the next morning. She never had two visions in one day… but it was her own fault for turning on that damn TV knowing the risk of having that feeling triggered. From trial and error, and she would stress the word error, she had learned that flashes on screens, similar to those that may cause epileptic seizures could cause her to fall into 'The Knowing'. It didn't always work, thankfully, but it happened enough for her to usually be good about avoiding them. It must has been the early wake up call, being up at 2:30 never did anyone any good. She dressed in skinny jeans, worn black boots, a grey sweater and a knit hat. She stuffed her keys, cash, and phone in her pocket before heading out of the apartment, it was time to treat herself to breakfast at her favorite café.

Once she got outside she decided to walk. It was pretty nice out and she really didn't want to take a cab or fight people on the tube. It was a relaxing walk. She didn't see any annoying people with the name of Sherlock or Mycroft. She didn't see anyone she recognized so she didn't need to pretend to be sociable- all in all a great walk to the café. She sat and ordered tea and pumpkin bread french toast. They made it so well here and she did love french toast when it was done right. She drank and ate in silence, looking at the busy street before her. She was finally feeling hopeful about today… but that changed when she got back to her apartment.

It was flooded.

She called her landlord and he knew, a few pipes burst that morning on the floor above hers. They had shut off the water and were trying to fix the problem and it would take a few days to clean up. Since she had renters insurance she wasn't too worried about replacing her things. She told him she was going to pack a bag and find somewhere to stay and to let her know when things were fixed. She thanked her lucky stars that her laptop wasn't ruined, in fact, her bedroom escaped the flood relatively unscathed. She packed a bag with weeks' worth of clothes, and anything else she may need. She didn't want to have to return if she didn't have to.

She called a nearby hotel, but they were booked, for whatever reason, as was the next place, and the one after that. She almost threw her phone at that point. Instead she went to a pub and sat down at a booth with her bag. She ordered a water and a burger and sat there in silence when someone slipped into the booth with her. She looked at John Watson with a blank face as her water arrived. The waiter turned to ask John what he wanted when Tanzen spoke "He isn't staying" The waiter looked put out but left "What do you want"

"You looked like you needed a drink"

"Can't, doctors orders, I'm sure you understand" she lifted her water glass and took a sip. "What are you really doing here"

"I got a call from Mycroft-"

"Leave"

"Tanzen, please"

"No, get up, and walk away now"

"He said your apartment was flooded and that you needed a place to stay. It is the least we can do. You can take my room and I'll take the chair in the living room. It's my fault you got in this mess with Mycroft" He looked like he meant it, not that it really mattered. She wasn't going to stay there, not a chance in hell.

"No, it's mine and I don't want to be around you are Sherlock now please leave me alone" She nodded towards the door and he sighed before nodding. He stood up and looked at her once more.

"If you change your mind you know where to go" Thankfully he left and not long after her burger arrived. It was decent, but didn't help improve her mood as she thought about what John Watson said… Mycroft called him and told him her apartment flooded. How the hell did he know that? She picked at the fries on her dish, slowly losing her appetite. Mycroft Holmes was watching her. When did her life turn sideways? She forced herself to finish the burger before she paid for her meal and headed out of the pub. She started calling hotels that she could afford and weren't ridiculously far from her work. Unfortunately, she was striking out. She groaned and then widened her circle but was running into the same problem. It was getting on in the afternoon and she was wondering if this wasn't the work of someone else making sure she had to stay with a certain someone's brother. She narrowed her eyes and knew she could call Luke… she should call Luke. But… to involve him in this mess. Well she would rather avoid that. She could sleep in her apartment, without water… yeah not going to happen. She could sleep on the streets- probably not the best option either, what with crime rates right now. She could keep trying to find a place to stay bit someone figured that would be rather fruitless. That really left one option.

She made her way to Baker Street. It took her a long time- the sun was almost gone when she finally reached the front door and even then she didn't want to go in. But she was out of viable options so she opened the door without knocking and made her way up the stairs. She shoved open the door to apartment B and saw John and Sherlock sitting in their chairs both looking at her "Tell your brother he sucks" she passed by them "Which one is mine?"

"Last on the right"

"Great" She started down the hall when she heard Sherlock catch up.

"John? What is going on?"

"Mycroft" Tanzen shut the door at that word and turned on the light. She looked over John's room, surprised at how neat it was. Nothing really out of place- his dirty clothes were in a pile by the closet but that was about it… Nothing too personal in the room, but she also wasn't going to snoop all through his things. Tanzen laid down on the bed and sighed.

"Just a few days" she said softly and then there was a knock on the door "Yeah?"

"It's me, can I grab a few things?" John.

"Yeah, sorry, come in" Tanzen sat up and watched as John entered. He looked at her with an apologetic look "Are you going to say sorry? It's Mycroft's fault. I don't know what he is hoping to get out of my being here for a few days but once my apartment is fixed I'm out of here"

"Yeah… Mycroft likes having his questions answered…"

"Yeah well not this time"

"He loves his country- he just wants to protect it"

"And I'm a threat how?"

"I dunno… but he thinks you can help protect it, or else you would be in a cell"

"I was already in one of those" John winced and moved to his closet. He grabbed a few things and then pushed his pile of dirty clothes into a hamper.

"I'm sorry you have been put through all this"

"Like I said, not your fault"

"No but John's kidnapping did start all this" Sherlock decided to join them and Tanzen shot him an unamused look.

"If I had said the same thing to you-"

"I would have questioned you relentlessly as we took a cab back to 221B"

"I would have told you to fuck off"

"Tanzen" John started and Sherlock held up his hand.

"No John, this is just her defense mechanism. She tries to push others away because it is safer… Safer for her but also for others… My my Tanzen you feel guilty"

Tanzen felt her eyes narrow and abruptly stood. She kept her eyes locked with Sherlock's as she held out a hand towards John "Mind if I borrow the keys to this place? I need a drink and I have no interest in having tail tonight"

"Tanzen, I thought you said you couldn't-"

"The key please" she said softly. John didn't reply but she heard him shuffle a bit before a key was placed in her hand. She closed it and placed it in her pocket "Sure I feel guilty, guilty that I couldn't help when I had a way to do so. But you're wrong, I don't push people away to keep them or myself safe. I just don't like people"

"Liar"

She smiled at him and slid past him "Am I?" She nodded to John "Thanks for letting me use your room, I'll be gone soon I'm sure" She didn't wait for a response as she moved down the hall and through the front door. She was out on the street quickly and decided she needed the familiarity of John's.

The cab ride was fast, thankfully, and soon she was sitting at the bar and Kenny was shaking his head "No Tanzen- You are not better and I am not serving you any alcohol until you are" She smiled and nodded.

"I know Kenny, I just need this place right now alright? Water will be fine" He gave her a slow once over and nodded "Let me serve these idiots and I'll be back" He poured her a water quickly and placed it in front of her before moving away to take care of his other customers.

"I would say a woman should never drink alone" The gruff voice started and she sighed before looking over her shoulder at the man who was suddenly behind her. Dirty blonde in a short cut, ice blue eyes, and a tall fit frame. She raised a brow at him as he finished "But you are only drinking water"

"Could be vodka"

"It's not" He smiled and sat down next to her.

"What are you doing?"

"Being friendly"

"Don't- I'm not in a friendly mood"

"You don't have to be, you can be a bitchy American and I'll be the nice Englishman set on learning more about you"

"The bitchy American" Tanzen was almost impressed.

"Yes, seems to be a regular sighting, now the real find is the needy, drunk, pop singing American… that one is just… wow"

She actually smiled and drank some of her water "Oh I bet, is she singing Katy Perry?"

"Undoubtedly"

She looked him in the eye and scanned over his smirk. Tanzen then let herself take his amber colored drink and drain it before nodded "She sounds like a peach"

He looked slightly impressed when she made no face at the drink she just downed "I'd have to say the real peach is the bitchy American who likes Scotch" He raised his hand to order another. "She's also pretty damn interesting"

"Oh I don't know" She drank some more of her water "That needy, drunk, Katy Perry singing girl sounds riveting" Kenny was walking back over to them and he looked over at her new friend.

"He bothering you?"

"No Kenny, I need to buy him a new Scotch" Kenny glared at her "I'm sorry, I just really needed it"

"No more the entire night" he pointed at the man next to her "If you allow her to drink yours again you are welcome to never come back to my bar again" He grabbed the empty glass and went to fill it.

"Sorry about that- Kenny basically adopted me when I moved her, he is a little protective" Tanzen looked over at him and smiled "He is harmless though"

"Well you can't have any more- I'm rather partial to this place"

"Kenny doesn't know you so you can't come here often"

"First time"

"And you are partial to it?"

"Well, you are a regular aren't you?" He smiled and that was when Kenny came over with the refill.

"I mean it Tanzen, no more"

Tanzen held up her hands and laughed "I promise, just water" He evaluated her for a few seconds before nodded and moving off.

"So, Tanzen is it?" She turned her head and paused, letting her eyes look him over again before a smile pulled at her lips and she extended her hand.

"Tanzen McGower"

A warm hand took her hand and the man smiled "Michael Simon"

"Nice to meet you"

"The pleasure is all mine"

"The not so subtle pick-up lines don't become you"

"So I should be more forward?"

"Not really going to work tonight"

"How about next Friday?"

Tanzen looked at him and then laughed "Yeah, next Friday they might work" She finished her water and then looked back at him "Smooth Michael, real smooth"

"I try"

"I bet" his phone then started to ring and he looked apologetic.

"I have to get this" he stood and answered "Yeah, I'm here" He moved off and Tanzen looked around the bar. She found a piece of paper and pen, wrote her first name and number down. She put in her pocket and sat in silence as she thought about what just happened. She agreed to a date with a man she just met. She wrote down her number and planned on giving it to him. What the hell was she doing? Her phone then started to ring and she saw that it was an unknown number. She silenced the call and smiled as Kenny refilled her water.

"What do you think of him?" She asked him as he lingered by her.

"Has good taste"

"It was tasty Scotch"

"It is" he smiled and laughed softly. "I don't know, never seen him before. Definitely full of confidence. Better than that last one you were here with"

Tanzen laughed and nodded "Yeah, I agree" She sighed and then handed Kenny the piece of paper.

"You know I'm married right? He asked when he looked at it.

"Can you give it to him?"

"Running?"

"I need to clear my head, alone, besides, I'm sure he'll call"

"Cocky"

"Confident" She corrected "I think he wants to see me again, besides, we have something on the books already" She stood and handed him some bills "For his drinks"

Kenny nodded and waved her off "Go walk"

Tanzen slipped out of the place without seeing Michael or getting stopped by anyone else. She walked back to 221B and just let her mind go where it wanted and needed to go. She found herself cursing Mycroft a few times and then thinking about what Sherlock was going to try to 'deduce' with her there for the next few days. Maybe they would get a case and forget about her. Doubtful… she was probably the next case. She huffed and shook her head as she stood in front of the door. As she took out a key her phone buzzed with a message

 **Great to meet you, sorry you left. See you Friday?**

She smiled and quickled responded

 **Probably Friday … it was nice to meet you too**

She put her phone in her pocket as she opened the door and followed the stairs up to the apartment. She opened the door with the second key ad shut the door behind her. The light was still on and she was greeted by the eyes of both John and Sherlock.

"You met someone" She raised a brow at Sherlock, un interested though part of her was a little impressed with his deductions. She just didn't like being the focus of them.

"Don't start Sherlock" John admonished but Sherlock ignored him as he leaned forward and assessed her further.

"You left rather quickly after meeting him though…"

"How the hell did you know that?"

"Well since you-"

"Mycroft told him when you arrived, where you went and when you left, you were only at the bar for about fifteen-twenty minutes, doesn't leave much time to visit" John interrupted and looked at Sherlock who was glaring at him "What? It's true"

"There are other signs! Her breathing, her phone has moved pockets recently so I am assuming she received a text from him. As I heard her come up to the door and pause-"

"You did not hear me pause at the door" She snapped and Sherlock looked at her curiously.

"You are rather testy… what happened?"

"Nothing, at all Sherlock. Nothing happened except my apartment is flooded, and your brother made sure I wasn't able to stay anywhere but here until it's fixed. Knowing my luck he will also blow up my apartment so I have to move in! Believe it or not I have no interest in spending time with you or being in this house but unless I'm about to sleep on the streets- which I'm not, then here I stay"

Sherlock remained still for a moment before he sighed "My brother does tend to get in the way of life doesn't he? Very bothersome" She stood and went to the window "Very well, I'll leave you be and will voice no observations"

"I would prefer if you didn't make any"

"Nothing can stop them from being made, I will however try to restrain myself while you live here" he said with his back towards her. Tanzen figured that was as good as it would get and nodded, even though he couldn't see her. She started towards the hall before he spoke "I will tell you though" She turned to look at his back "I will learn how you knew about John's kidnapping, and the Woman. That is inevitable. I would also caution you, the name you wrote- Moriarty" Now he turned to look at her "He is very very dangerous. You need to guard your secrets tightly when it comes to him, while my brother does go to great lengths to ensure he gets his way, Mycroft does have boundaries. Moriarty does not have those"

Tanzen looked him over and then slowly nodded "Noted" She said before walked down the hall and into John's room. She shut the door but could almost hear the conversation continue without her there but she didn't really care. She just wanted to blend back into the background again… fat chance.

She pulled off her shoes, removed her pants, and bra and just collapsed on the bed. She wasn't tired per say, she was just ready for this day to be over.

And soon it was

* * *

The rest of the weekend went by without too many hiccups. Sherlock was true to his word, he didn't voice his observations to her, but he clearly made them. He would study her frequently but Tanzen stopped caring about it. He remained silent which was all she wanted. She did spend some time visiting with Mrs. Hudson who was quite funny and had some great stories about her life before and after meeting Sherlock. The woman loved him dearly, and Tanzen wasn't sure how that happened and even asked her but She just smiled and replied with a "You just do dear, he has a good heart when it counts" When it counts she said… interesting choice of words. Tanzen was on her way to work, hoping to receive a call from her landlord today about her apartment. She called him yesterday but he said they couldn't even start yet- something about insurance and blah blah blah. It wasn't like people were trying to live there or anything.

It was a regular Monday, Patrick hit on her in his not so subtle way and overall they weren't too many calls… except for the call from her landlord that afternoon. Apparently while checking the place out to make sure it was problem free they found some other problem with her apartment. Electrical apparently. "You have to be kidding right? I have never had a problem with the electrical. I really need to get back into the place"

"Sorry Tanzen, but this is a safety issue and I won't have you living somewhere unsafe."

"I'm going to have to come back to get more clothes"

"How about today? I'm sorry about this Tanzen but I prefer my tenants to be safe. I'll try to get you back by the end of the week"

"Today works, I'll come by after work. Thanks" she said softly and hung up. Great, more time with Sherlock and John… just what she wanted.

"Everything alright Tanzen?" Patrick asked from the doorway to his office. She sighed and shrugged.

"Well my apartment is flooded and apparently has some electrical problems" She sighed again and shook her head "Just my luck"

"Do you need a place to-"

"I'm good" She cut him off as politely as possible "I've been staying with some people over the weekend, the invitation was there until my apartment was fixed… I had just hoped that I would only have stayed there for a few nights is all"

"Alright" he said softly, "Well if something happens let me know, we can figure something out" he smiled at her and went back into his office. She looked over hotels again between emails and once again was blocked. How did Mycroft do it? Did he monitor everything she did? This was becoming old fast.

Thankfully the rest of the week was as boring as her Monday morning. Her landlord called with updates daily, which was really nice of him to do. Seemed like her apartment would be ready to move back into sometime mid next week. Which was finally some good news. She knew he felt bad about the situation as every time they spoke he apologized, she told him that it wasn't necessary, things like this happened. She knew it wasn't his fault that the pumping went crazy or that her electrical was messed up. He was a good man and seemed to want his tenants to be happy in his apartments.

The only strange thing that had happened was that instead of Sherlock's steady gaze she also felt John's. She asked him about it and he simply said that as a doctor he was monitoring her concussion. She told him that as long as he told her when he thought she was good to have a pint he could examine her all he wanted.

It was Friday when she got back from her job that her cell phone buzzed. Message from Michael

 **Still on?**

She had forgotten about him. Was she in the mood? Not really. She looked at her phone biting her lip and then she heard Sherlock

"Just tell him no- you aren't up for drinking or company. It's the truth. Besides, it isn't like you would take him back here for the night"

She raised a brow at him "Excuse me?"

"While you wouldn't be embarrassed if John or I heard your exploits, you would only have John's bed to sleep on which is against your moral compass"

"What happened to not voicing your observations? You were doing so well Sherlock"

"This isn't about that puzzle, and I think I am getting close to that answer"

"Really now? How fascinating" Thankfully John walked in and looked her over "You too? Seriously unless you tell me I am good to drink I don't want to deal with this" She shoved her phone in her blazer pocket and started towards 'her' room.

"I think you probably are alright for a pint, maybe two, but I wouldn't drink anything stronger"

She spun on her heel "Really? How long before that?"

"Well Tanzen…"

"You sound like an alcoholic" Sherlock sneered and went back to staring off into space, thinking.

Tanzen shot him a glare but looked back at John "Maybe a little bit of an alcoholic Tanzen" he said gently "You probably should lay back on the hard stuff"

"I don't but into your business, don't but into mine. It is better for all of us" She said softly and then John nodded.

"Honestly I'm not sure, but I would see how you feel tomorrow after a few pints then go from there"

She accepted his answer and went to change into something a bit more casual. She typed a quick reply

 **Sorry, rain check?**

She pulled on a dark green leather jacket over a black three quarter sleeve. She had exchanged her work pants for a pair of dark wash skinny jeans and pulled on a pair of black work boots. Unfortunately they were more stylish than functional, but she could skill kick ass if need be. She grabbed the key John had made for her along with her phone and wallet and was soon out the door and at Johns, drinking the night away with Kenny serving her short beers all night. Men had come back at random intervals to try to woo her or something… she wasn't interested. She was in the 'drink alone' mood. It wasn't until it was about 12:30 before she heard a familiar voice.

"I would say that a woman should never drink alone" She had paused for only a moment while drinking her fifth? Or was this her sixth beer? She didn't really know. She did continue to drink until it was gone before she turned her head to look at Michael.

"Except this woman is drinking with the bartender" She said and slid her empty glass forward for Kenny to fill when he came by.

"I thought you said you weren't coming"

"No, I said rain check. Which meant I didn't want to meet up. Not a reflection of you, but I wanted to enjoy my first night of drinking in piece" Kenny came back and looked at her with a careful gaze. He must have decided she was good enough before he poured her another and then took Michael's order. Scotch- like last time. "So you came here to see if I lied?"

"I came here because I can get the scotch I like at a good price. I don't live far from here"

Tanzen looked at Michael again, he looked really good tonight- as if he knew he was going to meet someone. His jacket accented his sturdy body. The shirt under it was tight, but not in a disgusting over the top manor. No, it made her want to remove his shirt to see what was under it all. She didn't let her eyes wander south but she bet he was wearing a pair of dark jeans and boots; that seemed like his style.

"So… can I buy you a drink?"

"No Michael, I meant what I said, I don't want anyone's company besides Kenny's" She reached for her new beer and took a sip. Yes, it was nice to drink again.

"Come on Tanzen, I'm here, you're here-"

"Yeah, and I'm drinking alone so just quit while you are ahead okay? I'll call you this weekend or something"

He sat down at the empty stool and shrugged off his jacket. She ignored his gaze and kept her eyes forward, drinking. Kenny placed the scotch in front of Michael, sent Tanzen a questioning look before leaving when she dismissed him. Thankfully Michael didn't try to talk again. He just sat next to her and drank. The tension was bothersome though, so when Kenny came by again she handed him her card to cash out. It was almost one after all. When he returned she signed her name, wrote in a tip and then stood, holding her beer and downing the rest of it. She placed it on the bar "Have a good night Michael" She said before heading out.

She stumbled a little on the sidewalk, maybe that was seven beers… she walked in the direction of 221B, enjoying the fresh air for now. She could always hail a cab later if she wanted. She was maybe a half a block down the road when she heard him "Tanzen!" She growled under her breath and kept walking. She heard pounding footfalls and then a hand grabbed her elbow. She jerked away from him

"Back off" She snapped and kept walking. He must have paused for a moment before he gave chase again and darted in front of her slightly stumbling self.

"Tanzen come on, let me at least hail you a cab to get you home safe, you aren't in a fit state to walk"

"Fuck off alright? I'm an adult, I can take care of myself. I certainly know my tolerance better than some asshole that I met a week ago" alright maybe the curses were uncalled for but she did just have seven(?) beers.

"You don't need to be a bitch to everyone you meet, I'm just trying to make sure you don't get attacked on the way back to your apartment"

She took a breath to try to calm down. She did find this guy attractive and even if he was pissing her off, it wasn't really his fault "Look, I'm sorry for being bitchy. I appreciate that but seriously, you need to back off and go back to whatever it is you were going to do tonight, I'm fine" She pushed past him and stumbled a bit more and once again a hand was on her arm, pulling her back this time. She jerked away from him again, but his grip was too strong for her to break out of "Let. Me. Go" she snarled, staring at him with heated eyes.

"No. You are too drunk to get home by yourself. I'm either walking you there myself. Taking you back to my apartment. Or putting you in a taxi, but you aren't walking back alone" He said in a firm militaristic voice. Like he was used to giving orders and having people obey. Like hell she was going to do that.

"If you don't let me go in three seconds I'm going to make you" she ground out. Fuck being nice, no one grabs her like this.

He didn't let go, he stepped closer as he spoke "Tanzen, I just want you to be safe" he tried to reason.

In all likelihood Tanzen figured Michael would have normally been able to dodge a punch but he probably didn't except her to throw one. She swung her left fist around with a speed and accuracy surprising for someone so clearly intoxicated that caught him right in the jaw. He let go of her and she took a few steps back.

"Don't touch me again" She then hailed her own cab. When it pulled over and she opened the door he was taking a few steps towards her "And you know when Michael? Don't try to talk to me again- it won't be welcome" She slid into the cab and told the cabbie her 'new' address, never looking back at Michael.

The cab ride was blissfully quiet and soon she was stumbling up the steps of 211B and while she thought she was being fairly quiet, John still woke up. "Sorry John" she mumbled and he got a cup of water and walked with her to his room.

"I said two beers, not twenty"

"At most seven… I think" She said then smiled "It was really good, I just like the flavor you know?"

"Yes, yes I do" he said softly as he walked behind her with the cup. She sighed as she sat on the bed.

"I think I may be an alcoholic"

"Probably" John sounded tired- unsurprising since it is after one.

"Sorry for waking you up… But I'm glad you're not being kidnapped this time"

"Yeah, me too" She unlaced her boots and toed them off. John handed her the cup of water and she accepted it, sipping at it slowly. He stood there, looking like he was at war with himself over something. She drank some more water as he fought with himself and then finally seem to come to a conclusion, and not one Tanzen was too fond of.

"Tanzen" He started and she shook her head.

"Don't ask me John. I already told you" She sipped more water as he sighed, his hand swept over his mouth and he shook his head before continuing.

"Tanzen I know you didn't hear anyone. It just doesn't make sense. But I don't know how you knew"

"I'm not going to tell you whatever you need to hear. I can't"

"Can you just" he started, took a breath, almost as if not knowing pained him and then continued "Could you please just tell me if what you said earlier is true"

"You said you knew it wasn't"

"Please, I want to hear it from you"

She looked at him in the eye, finished the glass of water and then shook her head slowly "No, it wasn't true. I didn't hear anyone say that they were going to kidnap you. And I can't tell you how I knew, just that I did"

"You never met Irene- The Woman did you?"

"I never said I did" She laid back on the bed and John looked down at her.

"You said you saw her"

"I did"

"How?"

"John… go to sleep, forget about this and just move on. Please" she said softly. He looked like he wanted to continue but he looked over her and must have realized it wasn't really the time for an interrogation. John nodded and pulled a blanket up from the foot of the bed and over her body.

"Alright Tanzen, but if you ever need to tell someone, or just talk to someone… Well I'm here for you. Even after you get back to your apartment" He got up, taking the empty glass with him, and left her in the dark room. She heard him shifting before the couch creaked with his body weight. She rolled onto her side and tried to relax. She wasn't sure what made her tell John those things. Maybe it was the beer. Maybe it was his face, either way, she was sure Sherlock would know more soon, but with a mind like his there was no way he would come to the conclusion that she got visions and saw things before they happened. Not a chance.


End file.
